Sheriff: Petaluma man struck with pipe in recycling dispute

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A Santa Rosa man was arrested in Petaluma Sunday morning after allegedly hitting an acquaintance over the head with a metal pipe after a dispute over recycling.

A 46-year-old Petaluma man was visiting with friends at a home on the 300 block of King Road in Petaluma just before 8:30 a.m. when 51-year-old Santa Rosa resident Donald Giannini walked up behind him and struck him with a metal pipe, according to a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office news release.

The victim was transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital for a “significant laceration” on his head and was later released, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim told deputies that Giannini was potentially upset because he had taken metal that “may have belonged to Giannini” to a recycling center the previous day.

Around 1 p.m., deputies tracked down Giannini at his sister’s Santa Rosa home, where he was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and battery causing great bodily injury. Giannini, who has several warrants for other pending criminal cases, was booked into Sonoma County Jail and held in lieu of a $385,000 bail, according to the sheriff’s department.